Giuseppe sluggishly stared at the eerie bastard calmly meditating before him. For two days now, he had been bound to the tree, deprived of food and water. The spiritualist child was not even allowing him to speak, let alone heal himself further, his only respite being the shield tester he was forced to be.
Giuseppe grimaced from the pain in his gut, and shifted his leg across the dirt slightly. One eye of the spiritualist snapped open and peered at him for moments before closing again. The infernal bound priest exhaled. He had not felt so on edge around anything other than the demon he contracted with.
He cursed that demon in his mind, having shown no sign of itself since he abandoned him to this child. The accursed thing boasted that nothing within this tutorial could match his might, a claim that would have made Giuseppe spit on the ground were it not to elicit a response from his warden. His thoughts turning back to the child who would surely kill him once this macabre training was done with, his expression steeling.
[Meditation has reached lvl. 7]
Shin opened his eyes, his mana capacity full. The glow of meditation dispersed as he rose to his feet. He walked over to the pile of monsters he paralyzed and threw a couple over at the demon priest’s feet, and then dashed over to untie his arms. Inari appeared as he walked to an open space in front, shield and screen out in front as usual. The priest finished siphoning mana from the fuel he provided and raised his hand, shooting dark flames.
Holy Screen had leveled and grown stronger but so had the priest’s skill, along with his Force being much higher, Shin was sure. The screen shattered and the monster he was holding took the attack in his place. He had run out of common tier shields to waste on the first day and had to improvise. Monsters within the nearby vicinity were depleting as well but he wouldn’t have to worry about that soon. Four more flames crashed into four more shields and monsters.
[Holy Screen has reached lvl. 10. 10 attribute points rewarded.]
Shin put the points into Spirit and focused on two skills. Blue mana surged in his left hand and golden in the right. Though weaker, the two energies fought against each other as had been for his summon, and both lost out to Shin’s will.
[Holy Screen and Mana Screen have fused into uncommon tier skill Mystic Wall.]
The holy properties had been removed, in its place the new defensive skill highly specialized against magical attacks at the cost of being poor against physical ones. With his intentions successful, he focused on Cushion which yielded much more easily.
[Cushion has upgraded to uncommon tier skill Buffer.]
It was the exact opposite of the shield, being much more effective against physical attacks. With this, he had formed the foundation of his defenses. Now there was only one issue to deal with. Shin glanced to the right and Inari ran off to the cave. Giuseppe flew into action, bloodred malice surging around his hands and burst towards Shin. Shin jumped back and just as the infernal red mass reached him, it struck Inari square on, who guarded Shin with her body.
“Fool! Did you think I wouldn’t see through your cheap charade?!” Giuseppe roared with mad laughter as two spiccans summoned in front of him. “That bitch will soon be under my control and you next! You dare treat me this way? Me?! When I tear down that damn fortress, I’ll make you kill that mage whore of yours with your own hands!”
The infernal mist surged with the demon priest’s cackles, and fizzled out. Inari stood, completely unaffected by the demonic curse.
“Wha…”
“Grace is in the garrison?”
Giuseppe’s mind went blank at the scene before him.
“I don’t need you anymore.”
Before he could utter a word, Inari severed his neck in a flash, the two spiccans faded back to where they came as his fat body hit the ground. The fox warrior spat holy fire on the corpse in disdain and returned to Shin’s side.
“Anything wrong?” Inari shook her head. “Okay. Then-”
Inari kicked Shin across the clearing. Shin caught sight of a gray blur and the sound of clanging metal rang out as he rolled to his feet. Inari slid back, two swords holding the maw of a giant wolf at bay. Her arms trembled as the wolf slowly closed its jaw and her legs buckled under the force pressing down on her. Suddenly the wolf jolted its head back as an arrow sailed through air and leapt back avoiding a slash aimed at its neck. Inari rushed back over between Shin and the giant creature.
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[Giant Direwolf Stalker (rare) - Greater Peasant]
Shin identified the beast for the first time. A variant at least, maybe even an elite, and every bit as fast and dangerous as it had been the first time he caught a glimpse of it. His Perception was much higher now and still he had not heard it coming. It had a stealth skill, its type all but confirming that.
By the two meetings he had with the massive wolf and the way it now eyed them after the failed attack, it favored ambush tactics. With it in front of their eyes, the worst was over, but it had still proven to be faster and stronger than Inari. There was no room for error.
Shin moved first, jumping back to the trees and loosing an arrow as a translucent veil gleaned over Inari. The direwolf blurred past the arrow and swiped a paw at Inari as she leapt into the air, spitting blue fire. The fire wreathed like a hand after the direwolf chasing it but petered out, never even drawing close to its target.
Inari charged at the direwolf from above, and it vanished, a giant paw broke and tore away the trees in front of Shin. Shin bolted, deeper into the forest, aiming for the densest cluster of trees. The wolf barrelled and thrashed through trees, blurring through the space large enough to move through.
A giant maw lunged at Shin and was stopped just short, its body stonewalled by two thick deep rooted trees. As Shin rushed past, Nor appeared on a tree and lunged with the blessing of wind pushing him on, spinning into a sickle wheel. The wolf lurched its head and blood splashed from a cut across the top of its snout, beneath the eyes. The wolf glared at Nor, then growled and turned to its side, a deep gash on its torso splattered blood. Inari swung her other sword but the wolf struck her with a lash of its tail, knocking her away.
An orange blur carried the wind through the trees around the wolf as it darted its head its eyes keeping up with the small enemy. It moved suddenly, an arrow grazing the side of its face, and Nor lunged, its sickle tail struck like lightning, and struck only air. The direwolf blurred and chomped Nor whole. A blade wheel sawed through the top and bottom of its maws, a whirring pitch escaping through blood and bone. The direwolf opened his mouth on reflex and Nor leapt out, fur coating in blood.
The direwolf roared, enraged at the tiny prey causing it such pain, and veered its head away from another arrow, the talisman attached to the head evading its notice. A sudden burst of flames caught the wolf by surprise, and it leapt back. A white blur appeared by its side and slashed deep into its front leg. A snap forced Inari away but arrows in quick succession burst into flames around the direwolf’s face, obstructing its vision as it sprinted back into clearing.
It turned its head as it ran, meeting Inari’s eyes, and its body froze. Inari crouched low and deep, soil giving way as she focused strength into her legs, and a wave of fear fell upon the forest, emanating from the paralyzed direwolf. Inari’s body struggled against itself before breaking free into a burst. The wolf’s body jolted at the last instant and her sword drew a line of red too shallow to kill.
As the great wolf reared up, an arrow struck its neck, not deep enough to matter, but it brought the sound of a dozen talismans fluttering against each other in the wind. Before the wolf could realize, they all went up at once, covering its neck with fire. The direwolf flailed as the flames crept up its head and smoke filled its nose and besieged its eyes.
A bladed wheel severed through the tendon of its heel, making it falter for a moment, but a moment was all it took.
A white blur and flash of a pristine sword sliced deep into its neck through its wound, this one reaching into the throat. A pool of blood doused the fire on its underside with sputtering yelps. The massive wolf thrashed wildly in all directions, desperate to keep attacks at bay, but soon it slowed and became to falter. A sharp wheel carved through its side and Inari’s sword dug deep into the other.
The direwolf growled her away and took an unsteady stance, its body worn and beaten. A long beckoning howl in the distance broke the silence. The direwolf paused then sprinted off to its destination, forcing its body to move at top speed. Shin jumped out of the forest and gave chase, his two spirits regrouping around him and following after. The wolf had gotten the jump on Shin because he attacked from his blindside, but now that he knew where he was, it would never escape his eyes.
Shin’s head tilted up, just slightly and slowed his speed, coming to a gradual stop in a small clearing. The giant direwolf lay collapsed, its eyes unfocused and hazy, its breathing faint. Shin glanced at Inari and she moved in an instant, standing on top of the wolf’s neck, holding up a single sword pointing downwards. The wolf’s eye inched up but faltered, its body unmoved, and the sword pierced through its skull. The great beast, the terror of the forest, lay still.
[Giant Direwolf Stalker (rare) - Greater Peasant]
Strength - 270
Agility - 345
Constitution - 218
Vitality - 258
Dexterity - 247
Perception - 303
Force - 128
Spirit - 122
Control - 181
Willpower - 175
Skills:
Sneak lvl. 10, Chomp lvl. 10, Greater Swipe lvl. 8, Greater Lunge lvl. 9
Traits:
Padded Paws (epic), Quick Reflexes (epic), Lesser Poison Resistance (rare), Lesser Disease Resistance (rare),
Shin lingered for only a moment before sprinting off in the direction of the howl. Cutting through the forest, it took mere seconds before Shin came to a stop by a tree, his spirits standing by his side. Glaring at them was another massive wolf, and beneath it huddled a half dozen cubs as large as lions.
[Giant Direwolf (rare) - Greater Peasant]
“Enemies, Sir Shin?” Nor asked.
“No.” Shin turned and left. The stalker had been dangerous because it was an elite with a stealth ability. A regular one posed no threat to them, nor was there a particular need to kill them.
He had learned that Grace was safe, fused his shield skill, and dealt with the sudden threat that had been a note in the back of his mind. There had been enough distractions and detours. The secrets of the stage lay waiting for him somewhere.